Sill Vent Holes?

[GTS290N]

Should there be any?
I had my outer sills replaced last year with club panels. There is a nylon plug under the carpet at the rear of each sill, so I stuck a video probe down there and everything looks good.
I then drilled a hole under each treadplate and sprayed a 500ml can of Dinitrol 1000 in each sill. That was in yesterday's warm weather, I haven't been to check the garage floor since.....

The question is - do I seal up the sills again or should there be some sort of breathing hole somewhere?

Also if there is a nice line of dinitrol under each sill that means the welds aren't fully sealed - should I just underseal them or is there a better method?

Thanks in advance.

[soe8m]

There are std a few drainholes in the sills. When spraying anti corrosive in the sills you should have seen it dripping out within seconds.

Jeroen.

[Richard the old one]

I also believe you need to drill some holes from the inside of the car to get into the jacking point box sections. Can someone who has repaired this area please confirm this fact.

[shaunroche]

I also believe you need to drill some holes from the inside of the car to get into the jacking point box sections. Can someone who has repaired this area please confirm this fact.

Think you're correct....suspect I drilled in from the footwell horizontally...this pic should show the inner construction.....





If you take the panel of by your accelerator foot you can get in behind all the panels.....

[xvivalve]

The drain holes in OE cills were created with a pressed inflection in the panel which results in a slight gap in three locations; due to production limitations, these are not reproduced with the club cills.

[Carledo]

The drain holes in OE cills were created with a pressed inflection in the panel which results in a slight gap in three locations; due to production limitations, these are not reproduced with the club cills.

When I fit the club sills (or ANY aftermarket copies to anything) I use a screwdriver and a panel clamp to reproduce the drain slots. Every little helps!

Steve

[GTS290N]

The drain holes in OE cills were created with a pressed inflection in the panel which results in a slight gap in three locations; due to production limitations, these are not reproduced with the club cills.

When I fit the club sills (or ANY aftermarket copies to anything) I use a screwdriver and a panel clamp to reproduce the drain slots. Every little helps!

Steve

Unfortunately mine are fitted, and no drain slots! Any chance you can sketch roughy where they should be? I guess a dremmel or drill will have to be used now.

[DOLOMITE 135]

As has been stated above the OE Sills have three drain points along the joint between the inner and outer Sills, one towards each end, and one in the middle. Elements of the drains are included in the Sill inner and outer:

The inner Sill has indents as shown in picture 2
The OE outer Sill is not flat from the bottom of the radius below the doors to its flange, is it indented upwards on it's lower horizontal face except for the areas adjacent to the inner sill indents (as shown in pictures 3 & 4). This allows for a gap between the outer Sill bottom, and it's joint with the Sill Reinforcer as shown in picture 5. Non OE replacement Sills are flat in this area due to the limitations of the fabrication processes used for their manufacture.

The front jacking point is closed off, the rear is not as there is a cut out in the reinforcer in this area, but filling the rear jacking point with cavity protection through the main body of the Sill would probably be problematical.

[xvivalve]

Thanks for posting those pictures, it saved me dragging mine out of the cellar!

[GTS290N]

Many thanks for the perfect pictures, shows how it should be. Now I have to figure out what I'm going to do!

[xvivalve]

If you drill holes you will expose the mild steel so should treat the holes with something like galvafroid to maintain the zinc protection.

[NickMorgan]

I remember way back in 1974 when my father bought a new Renault 12 he took it to Ziebart who drilled 3 holes in the lowest point of each sill, placed a rod in the hole and pulled it backwards and then sprayed loads of black wax in there. The said that by angling the holes as they did any water would run out when accelerating. They didn't put bungs in the holes. I had that car up until about 1994 and then had to give it up because I lost my storage space. The sills were still like new after 20 years. (his previous Renault 12 had rusted badly in the sills by the time it was traded in aged 3!)

[GTS290N]

Life in my Dolomite saga moves very slowly...
Many thanks to DOLOMITE 135 for posting photo's of the original vent holes, with those in mind I went poking and prodding and found that the welder had indeed left drain holes in those exact spots, although they seem to be a lot smaller than the originals. Two of them were covered with seam sealer/underseal stuff, and are now unblocked. Some Dinitrol S1000 in there now.
Unfortunately the chap who did the welding is no more, apparently his body was found in the local canal a few weeks back, all rather strange since he had a fear of water and no water in his lungs...

Anyhoo, moving on the guy who did the MOT on Saturday recommended a welder who has restored many other classics, so maybe the next job will be to get the club front lower wing repair panels fitted. If he does a good job of those, who knows, maybe I'll eventually be happy to drive my car in all weathers except salty road ones.

[SprintMWU773V]

You can drill a hole inside the car to get to the very front of the sill. Alternatively you can remove the mud shield and drill a hole in the closing section at the front. I'd fit a bung here though.